Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect Transportation Research Procedia 18 (2016) 426 – 433
XII Conference on Transport Engineering, CIT 2016, 7-9 June 2016, Valencia, Spain
Dorothy Project: implementation of a new “Urban Logistics Cluster” in the Region of Valencia Óscar Colomer Font a*, José Vicente Colomer Ferrándiz b, Mauro Fiore c a
Civil Engineer. Hired Researcher, b Civil Engineer. Hired Researcher, c CEO, MOVUS SL (Movilidad Urbana Sostenible), Spain a,b, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia 46022, Spain
Abstract In July 2013 started the DOROTHY Project (“Development Of RegiOnal clusTers for researcH and implementation environmental friendlY urban logistics"), a part of the Seventh Framework Programme of the EU (www.clusterdorothy.com). This project is focused on urban logistics and its ending, June 30th 2016, practically coincides with the celebration of the Transports Engineering Congress CIT 2016. One of the main objectives of the Dorothy project is the implementation of clusters, at a regional level, that can address many different kinds of issues related to urban logistics. One of these clusters has been implemented in the region of Valencia. The creation and implementation of a new cluster focused on a topic like urban logistics, without funding for initial dynamism, is a complex process that requires many different steps and negotiations. At least this has been the case of the creation of the cluster in Valencia. We understand that explaining this process in detail may be of interest for future cluster implementations related to urban logistics or to any other different aspects of transport. This paper compiles all the different actions that have been necessary to implement a new cluster. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license © 2016 The Authors. Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of CIT 2016. Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of CIT 2016
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 963877000/73760 E-mail address:
[email protected]
2352-1465 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of CIT 2016 doi:10.1016/j.trpro.2016.12.056
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1. Introduction Here introduce the paper, and put a nomenclature if necessary, in a box with the same font size as the rest of the paper. The paragraphs continue from here and are only separated by headings, subheadings, images and formulae. The section headings are arranged by numbers, bold and 10 pt. Here follows further instructions for authors. The distribution of goods in the interior of urban areas (urban logistics) is a very important activity inside the cities, both socially and economically. On one hand, it guarantees then necessary supplies for the life in the city, and on the other hand it affects different aspects related to traffic and the environment. In urban logistics (UL), many different actors are involved with, sometimes, conflicting interests: logistics operators, merchants, citizens, regional and municipal administrations… In order to optimize this activity, the participation of all the concerned stakeholders is necessary. The project DOROTHY (“Development Of RegiOnal clusTers for researcH and implementation environmental friendlY urban logistics") is a part of the Seventh Framework Programme of the EU in the section “Transnational cooperation between regional research-driven clusters”1 (www.clusterdorothy.com). The project, that started on June 2013 and will end on June 2016, poses as one of its main objectives the implementation of clusters, at a regional level, that may address and study different issues related to urban logistics. The regions participating in the Dorothy project are: the region of Valencia (Spain) with five partners, the region of Tuscany (Italy) with seven partners, the region of Lisbon and Tagus Valley (Portugal) with seven partners, and the region of Oltenia (Romania) with six partners. Of a total of 25 partners, four of them are universities or research institutions (one per region), eight of them are private companies, and the other thirteen are public entities (regional of municipal). This paper compiles the steps followed for the implementation of an Urban Logistics Cluster in the region of Valencia, and also the first actions that are taking place within the cluster. This confirms the achievement of one of the main objectives of the Dorothy project.
2. Previous actions In the initial phase of project Dorothy, during the first Work Package (WP1), the existing urban logistic structure of the region of Valencia was analyzed in detail. Multiple interviews with companies, municipalities, transport associations, existing similar projects, etc. were carried out. This initial analysis allowed us, on one hand, to contact with the main actors with participation on UL and, on the other hand, to get to know their strengths and the aspects in which their contribution could be most interesting. In the conducted interviews, the possible interest in the creation of an urban logistics cluster was introduced, as well as the general characteristics it should have. A very positive feedback was received from some of the stakeholders interviewed and, in all cases, they showed a certain interest in participating or, at least, being informed of the activities of the possible future cluster. It should be taken into consideration that this approach took place in moments of important economic crisis in the region of Valencia (2013-2014), to a much atomized group, without previous organizational references in this specific matter and in an environment unaccustomed to clusters. For all these reasons, the initial previous effort was very intense and important. With all the information available, and in order to initiate the constitution of the urban logistics cluster, a meeting was organized on May 22nd 2014 (ten months after the start of the Dorothy project) in the Valencia Chamber of
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Commerce with the topic: “The new urban logistics cluster in the Comunitat Valenciana”. In this first act, project Dorothy was presented and the necessity of a sustainable urban logistics in the frame of sustainable mobility was highlighted. The reasons for the convenience of creating a UL cluster in the region of Valencia in order to develop a Joint Action Plan (JAP) were exposed and the act ended with a Round Table with the participation of different assistants. This first meeting, with around one hundred participants, was the starting point for the implementation of the cluster. The main conclusion obtained was that a real interest in the cluster did exist and that the implementation project was feasible. The diffusion of project Dorothy and the announcement of the creation of the urban logistics cluster continued; and many existing opportunities to participate in different acts were profited in order to animate and give support to the cluster initiative. In September 2014, in the Journey Infoday Proebike that took place in the Museo de la Ciudad in Valencia, a presentation with the title “Dorothy: the new urban logistics cluster in the Comunitat Valenciana” was exposed. Its abstract was, textually: “Presentation of the Dorothy Cluster whose mission is to improve the process of distribution of urban goods by reducing the number of vehicles and the improvement of environmental standards”. The author and speaker was Mauro Fiore, CEO of the company MOVUS and CCP (“Cluster Contact Point”) of the region of Valencia in the Dorothy project.
3. Creation of the cluster After the meeting in the Chamber of Commerce and the subsequent dissemination of the project for the cluster, the partners of the Dorothy project intensified direct contacts with the companies and entities that showed most interest in participating in the cluster. In order to implement the new cluster, a meeting was organized in IVACE2. This meeting took place on October 16th 2014 and more than one hundred persons from different companies and entities related to urban logistics assisted. The central topic of the meeting was to present different proposals for the organization of the cluster and to collect ideas for producing a first draft of the statutes for the cluster. It is especially important, when creating these kinds of entities, to address the aspects of the adopted legal figure. In this regard, it was agreed that the legal figure should have legal entity but also it should be flexible enough, because the degree of commitment from the partners was not very high in legal and economic terms. It should be taken into account that the situation of crisis in the sector, and its own characteristics, made them very reticent to acquire any obligation. Furthermore, the economic situation of the Regional Government prevented them from compromising support to any initiative beyond the EU funding programs, which did not attend to cluster implementations. Many different figures were analyzed and finally, it was concluded that for the case of the Valencia region, the legal figure that best adapted the cluster necessities was the “Nonprofit Organization” under the Organic Law 1/2002 of March 22nd that regulates the Right of Association. In the meeting it was agreed that, in first place, all of the interested in belonging to the cluster should make a request and nominate a representative. In second place, a draft of the statutes that could serve as a basis for cluster operations would be sent to all the interested partners. Finally, a date was established for the constitution of the cluster and the appointment of the Board. On December 11th 2014, the Founding Act of the nonprofit organization “Clúster de logística urbana de la Comunidad Valenciana” (Urban Logistics Cluster of the region of Valencia) was approved. The founding act compiles as founding members the following companies and institutions:
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Federación Valenciana de Empresarios del Transporte y la Logística, a transport and logistics business association. Instituto Tecnológico de Embalaje, Transporte y Logística (ITENE), a technological center constituted as a nonprofit private association with a national scope. Founded on May 30th 1994. Asociación para el Desarrollo de la Logística. Private association that develops training and other activities in the field of logistics. Movilidad Urbana Sostenible SL (MOVUS). Private company that participates in the Dorothy Project as CCP. IVACE (Instituto Valenciano de Competitividad Empresarial). A public entity of the Regional Government. Its main objectives are the management of the industrial policies of the regional government and to support private companies for innovation, internationalization and funding search. Asociación de Distribuidores a HORECA de la Comunidad Valenciana (ADISLEV). Nonprofit business association formed by most of the companies in the sector of food and drink distribution to HORECA situated in the region of Valencia. Compañía de Almacenaje y Distribuciones Especiales SL (CADE). Private company that participates as a partner in the Dorothy Project.
In the constitution of the cluster we can find private companies, business associations and public entities; an important part of all the involved agents in urban logistics. This is very important because it guarantees the presence of different visions and interests, which is one of the main objectives of the cluster. Later, different members have been incorporated to the cluster until today, with 17 associates in the cluster. Mr. Jaime Agramunt, representative of the “Federación Valenciana de Empresarios del Transporte y la Logística” was appointed President and Mr. Javier Zabaleta, representing ITENE was nominated Secretary. The cluster requested on December 19th 2014 its inscription as nonprofit organization and the definitive approval from the Spanish Government took place on April 2015. Attending to its statutes, the main objective of the cluster will be to give a joint strategic response to the challenge of achieving a competitive, efficient and sustainable urban distribution, from economic, social and environmental points of view in the actual and future context of the region of Valencia. With this purpose, the cluster will promote business and public-private cooperation to develop innovative initiatives in order to increase the competitiveness of all the urban logistics chain and the companies involved in it. The cluster will also collect and compile the different points of view from companies (operators, consultants, technology suppliers, etc.), research institutions (universities, institutes…) and public administrations at municipal and regional levels. The cluster seeks to boost the sector of urban logistics and to promote new innovative solutions for an area that is basic for the commercial development of the cities and its quality of life.
4. Actions of the Cluster of the Valencian Region 4.1. Dorothy Cluster Policy Event The clusters of the four regions participating in the Dorothy project (Tuscany, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Valencia and Oltenia) met in Valencia on October 28th 2015, in an event in which a cooperation agreement was signed between them. The event, that took place in Valencia, gathered nearly 130 representatives of regional and municipal governments, EU institutions, private companies and research and innovation institutions. It represented a great opportunity to
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discuss future perspectives for urban logistics and for the companies and institutions operating in the sector within the regions. All of this based on the proposals elaborated by the Dorothy project. The European consortium Dorothy defined a framework of actions in which every region is working: the Joint Action Plan (JAP). Among them, we can highlight some relevant actions like boosting Cargo Bike services, technological innovation on the management of loading/unloading parking slots, coordination of areas with commercial interest with ad-hoc planning, and the definition of Sustainable Urban Logistics Plans as a strategic and planning document. Each of these areas represents an opportunity for companies and associations linked to the cluster in order to increase their potential market and to innovate in their products and technologies.
4.2. Participation as a member in the Mobility Table of the Government of Valencia On November 24th 2015, the City Hall of Valencia constituted the Mobility Table as “a body of citizen participation and discussion, with informative and advisory capacity, to collect citizens' proposals in a field as important as mobility and with the objective of achieving a paradigm shift.” The Mobility Table brings together nearly 40 civic organizations, as well as some companies and public administrations related to mobility. “Transparency, participation and inclusion” are the key points highlighted by the Mayor of Valencia in the act of constitution of the Mobility Table, “in the city’s path to sustainable mobility, universal accessibility of public transport and the social and environmental recovery of public space”. The Urban Logistics Cluster of the Comunitat Valenciana is present in the Mobility Table since its constitution, participating in several meetings, in matters related with urban logistics.
4.3. Organization of a workshop with the objective of promoting cooperation between entities in the field of urban logistics On February 11th 2016, at the cluster’s headquarters located in the facilities of ITENE, an urban logistics brainstorming workshop was organized. For this workshop, several companies and other entities were required to contribute with ideas for the improvement of urban logistics. These ideas were briefly exposed by their promoters and, later, parallel sessions were organized to expand the information and discussion about them. The ideas presented and exposed were as follows (in brackets the company or entity that presented each idea): 1. Delivery of goods in the urban area of Valencia (A. T. Sarosa Levante, S.L.U) 2. E-cargo bike for the city center of Valencia (MOVUS) 3. Pilot experience of loading/unloading operations with occupancy sensors and space reservation (MOVUS) 4. Pilot project for reverse logistics in HORECA (MOVUS) 5. Starting points for the organization of specific training in urban logistcs (UPV) 6. Multi-suppliers of packaging (RUMBO SISTEMAS) 7. Validation pilot project for monitoring tools of consumption and efficiency for electric vehicles (ITENE) 8. Cooperation framework for the optimization of parcel delivery (LISITT – Universidad de Valencia) 9. Last mile delivery in the center of Valencia (ENCICLE) 10. Micro distribution platforms. Internet of logistics. (VANAPEDAL)
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The “brainstorm” formula resulted very interesting and it encouraged participation. On the same day, the Mobility Table of the city hall of Valencia was informed about the activities of the cluster. Also, the existing funding mechanisms for innovation that could be used in topics related to urban logistics were studied. One of the aspects most demanded were the training and education possible actions. There was a real interest in launching an “Urban Logistics Management Course” of around 60 hours, instructing the Dorothy partner Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) to explore the funding possibilities and to elaborate a program proposal for the course, with the idea of organizing it in this year 2016. This training course would be addressed to technicians of municipalities, logistics operators and other professionals related to urban logistics. In this sense, a meeting took place in the UPV on March 8th 2016 with the project Climate Kic Spain in which they showed interest in funding the organization of the training course. Currently, a detailed proposal of the course has been sent to Climate Kic and we are waiting for a definitive answer.
5. Summary and main conclusions In The following scheme summarizes the actions that have been carried out in order to create the nonprofit organization “Urban Logistics Cluster of the Comunitat Valenciana”, which is today a reality derived from EU’s Dorothy Project. Date 01-jul-13
Action Dorothy Project start
First months
Study of the existing situation of urban logistics in the región of Valencia
22-may-14
Meeting in the Chamber of Commerce: “The new urban logistics cluster in the region of Valencia”
sep-14
Disemination of the cluster proposal in the Journey Infoday Proebike with the title: “Dorothy: The new cluster of urban logistics in the region of Valencia”
16-oct-14
Meeting in IVACE with possible cluster members. Interested entities should express their interest in writing. A date was fixed for the Founding Act.
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11-dic-14
Meeting for the “Founding Act” with statutes approval and Board appointment
19-dic-14
Inscription of the nonprofit organization “Urban Logistics Cluster of the Comunitat Valenciana”
abr-15
Inscription approval by the Spanish Government
After the creation of the cluster, and in the short period of time that has passed, the cluster’s activity has been remarkable. This activity is summarized in the following scheme: Date
Action
28-oct-15
Dorothy Cluster Policy Event. Meeting of the clusters of the four regions particpating in the Project Dorothy: Tuscany, Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Valencia and Oltenia. Cooperation agreement between all of them signed.
24-nov-15
Constitution of the Mobility Table in the city hall of Valencia. The cluster is an active member and is present in the following meetings.
11-feb-16
Workshop organization in order to promote new ideas and cooperation between entities involved in urban logistics.
08-mar-16
Meeting with Climate Kic Spain. Detailed proposal for organizing an Urban Logistics Management Course.
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To conclude, we would like to highlight that, thorugh all this process, we have achieved one of the main objectives of the Dorothy project, through the implementation of the “Urban Logistics Cluster of the Comunitat Valenciana”. All of this, as stated before, in a very complex economical frame, especially for public administrations. The project DOROTHY (“Development Of RegiOnal clusTers for researcH and implementation environmental friendlY urban logistics") is a part of the Seventh Framework Programme of the EU in the section “Transnational cooperation between regional research-driven clusters” 3 (www.clusterdorothy.com).
6. References 1,3* Eva María Pino, Davinia San Nicolás, Isabel Espinós: "Dorothy project: urban logistics organization in Valencian Community". XI Congreso de Ingeniería del Transporte (CIT 2014). Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 160 ( 2014 ) 420 – 429. Elsevier 2014 2 * IVACE - Institut Valencià de Competitivitat Empresarial, is a public entity of the Generalitat Valenciana (Regional Government) and is one of the partners of the Dorothy Project in the region of Valencia.
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